High-tension-circuit breaker.



No. 629,664. Patented July 25, I899. n. P. DAVIS &. a. WRIGHT.

HIGH TENSION CIRCUIT BREAKER.

(Application filed Mar. 23, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 629,664. Patented July 25, I899. H. P. DAVIS & G. WRIGHT.

HIGH TENSION CIRCUIT BREAKER.

(Appl'cat'on Med Mar. 23, 1899) (No Model.) X l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

A TTOHNEY.

\Nt Mona-s PETERS 00., PWYQLIYHD msumurom o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY P. DAVIS, OF PITTSBURG, AND GILBERT WRIGHT, OF \VILKINSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS .TO THE WVESTINGI-IOUSE ELECTRIC ANDMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

HlGH-TENSlON-CIRCUIT BREAKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,664, dated July 25,18996 Application filed March 23, 1899. Serial No. 710,216. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: in order that the movable terminals may beBe it known that we, HARRY P. DAVIS, reseparated a maximum distance fromthe sta siding at Pittsburg, and GILBERT WRIGHT, tionary terminals tobreak the arcs that form residing at Wilkinsburg, in the county ofAlwhen the separation takes place. A flexible legheny and State ofPennsylvania, citizens cable 9 projects through the base-board or 55 ofthe United States,have invented a new and panel for circuit connectionand upward useful Improvement in High-Tension-Circuit through the arm 8,which is hollow and is Breakers, (Case No. 811,) of which thefolconnected to a metal head 8, which is prolowing is a specification.vided with the main movable terminal plate 10 Our invention relates toautomatic devices 6 and the carbon block 7, which constitutes 6oemployed for interrupting electric circuits the movable shunt-terminal.It willthus be upon the passage therethrough of currents seen that themain circuit and the shunt-cirthat are in excess of the predeterminedquancuit are each interrupted at a single point, tity for which thedevice is adjusted. thus permitting of such a wide separation of Theobject of our invention is to provide a the circuit-terminals aswillinsure the breakcircuit-breaker which shall be simple in coning ofthe are no matter what the electronicstruction and effective inoperation and tive force may be. which shall be especially adapted forhigh- For supporting the movable members of voltage circuitssuch, forexample, as those the circuit-breaker we provide two brackets 20employed for transmitting energy over long 10, between the outer ends ofwhich is a rod distances for power or lighting purposes. or pivot 11, onwhich is loosely mounted a In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isframe 12, having triangular-shaped ends 12, a side elevation of acircuit breaker conprojecting outwardly, and a middle piece 12 structedin accordance with our invention, projecting inwardly. The lower end ofthe 25 parts being broken away and others shown arm 8 is clamped in asocket 13, and the latin section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cirter isloosely mounted upon a rod 14, which cuitbreaker, looking upward, partsbeing connects the outer corners of the triangular brokenawayin order tomore clearlyiliustrate ends 12" of frame 12. Another rod 15 contheoperation and relative relation of certain nects the lowercorners of thetriangular pieces 0 other parts. 12 and to this are loosely connectedthe outer The circuit-breaker constituting the subends of two lever-arms16.. The inner ends ject-matter of our present invention is inof thelever-arms 16 are jointed to the outer tended for high-tension circuits,and the baseends of two lever-arms 17 by means of a rod plate 1 willusually be a switchboard-panelof 18. The inner ends of lever-arms 17 arerig- 35 marble, slate, or other suitable non-conductidly joined togetherby a sleeve 17, which ing material. One of the stationary termisurroundsa rod 1.), the ends of the latter benals of the .main circuit is a block2, clamped ing supported by the brackets 10. The sleeve or otherwisefastened to one end of a support- 17 is provided with aninwardly-projecting ing-arm 3 and provided with a contact-piecelocking-arm 20, the free end of which is pro- 0 41, that is built up oflaminae. This terminal vided with a roller20 to engage with a latch- 0is also provided, above the laminated coning device 21 for the purposeof locking the tact-piece at, with a block 5, of carbon or othercircuit-breakerin closed position. The latchsubstantially infusibleconducting material. ing device 21 is provided with an arm 22 in Thecontact-terminals 6 and 7, respectively position to be engaged by atripping projec- 5 cooperating with those above described, are Lion 23on a rod 2 1. which depends from the mounted upon the upper end of anon-concore 25 of a solenoid 26, the lower end of this ducting arm 8,which may be of any desired rod being provided with weights 27, the n umlength, depending upon the electromotive ber of which may be varied tosuit desired force to be interrupted. A very high elecconditions. I

so tromot-ive force obviously requires a long arm The portion 12 of theframe 12 is provided [00 with three arms, one of which is connected to alug on the socket 13 by a coiled spring 98. The second is provided witha nose or projection 12 to be engaged by a lug 13 on the socket l3, andthus limit the longitudinal movement of the arm 8, and the third isconnected by a coiled spring 2a to the solenoid- S1l1)1')0ll1l1]gbracket 30 or other suitable stationary portion of the frame.

Loosely mounted upon the rod 19, so as to turn independently of theother mechanism under certain conditions, are two lever-arms 31, whichare joined together below the other operating portions of the apparatusand provided with a handle for closing the circuitbreaker. Each of thesearms 31 projects up ward] y and inwardly beyond the rod 10 and isprovided with a laterally-projecting lug 33, so located and of suchlength as to engage with the upper side of the adjacent lever-arm 17 toclose the circuitbreaker. A rod 3% extends between thesupporting-brackets 10 in position to serve as a stop for both thetogglelevers 16 17 and the operatingarms 31 and handle 32, thelever-arms 16 being provided with projections 16 to engage with this rodand the arms 31 being provided with similar projections 31. The free endof one of the operating-arms 31 is connected to some stationary portionof the apparatus, such as a projection from the base-plate or switchboard-panel, by a coiled spring The operation of the circuit-ln'eaker isas follows: Assuming that the circuit-breaker is closed, as indicated inthe drawings, when the current passing through the flexible cable U tothe movable and stationary contact-terminals exceeds the amount forwhich the circuit-breaker is adjusted by the weights 417 the solenoidwill overcome the pull of the said weights and will raise its core untilthe block or projection 23 engages the arm 22 of the latch and tilts thelatter so as to release the arm 20. The spring 29 will immediately rockthe frame 12 on the rod 11, and the spring 28 will pull the arm 8downwardly, so that the movable carbon terminal 7 will slide on thestationary terminal 5 without breaking contact, but will move the metalcontact 6 away from the end of the laminated contact 1-, thus breakingthe main circuit. A further action of the spring 20, in conjunction withgravity, will turn the frame 12 on the rod 11 and will throw the armoutwardly to the limit of its movement, thus not only breaking thecircuit, but separating the terminals a distance depending upon thelength of thearm S.

In closing the circuit-ln'eaker the handle 32 will be moved inward tothe position shown in broken lines, the lugs on the arms 31 bearing uponthe toggle-lever arms 17, and thus forcing the parts toward the positionin which they are shown in the drawings. When the carbon terminals 7 and5 are first brought into engagement, the position of the movable block 7will be lower than the final position, as indicated in broken lines, andthe lug 13 will be the same distance below the stop 12 on the frame 12.In this position the metal contact-pieces U and 4: of the breaker willobviously be out of engagement. A further movement of the handle 32 willserve, by reason of the engagement of the two carbon blocks, to rock thearm 8 on its pivot 1% against the action of the spring 28 and will thusmove it longitudinally, so as to bring the movable main terminal 6 intoengagement with the end of the laminated contact 4 and at the same timeslide the movable carbon block 7 along the face of the stationary block5, thereby insuring the keeping of the engaging faces clean and themaking of a good contact between them.

\Vhile we have shown and described specific mechanism for carrying outourinvention, it is obvious that the details of construction may bevaried by one skilled in the art, and we therefore do not desire tolimit ourselves to the structural details shown and described.

\Ve claim as our invention 1. In an automatic electric-circuit breaker,the combination with a single stationary laminated contact-terminal anda single stationary carbon terminal, of asingle movable terminalcorresponding to each of said stationary terminals, :1 supporting-armfor said terminals having a flexible electrical circuit connection andpivoted to a hinged support, and

means for actuating said support to swing the carbon contact terminalsinto engagement and thereafter move the supporting-arm longitudinally tobring the main terminals into engagement.

2. In an automatic electric-circuit breaker, the combination with a mainand a shunt stationary contact-terminal and two corresponding movablecontactterminals, of a supportingarm for said movable terminals, aflexible conductor for connecting said movable terminals with a circuit,a hinged or pivoted frame to which said arm is pivoted, means for movingsaid arm and frame on the hinge of the latter to bring the shuntcontact-terminals into engagement and for thereafter moving said armlongitudinally to bring the main contact-terminals into engagement.

3, In an automatic electric-circuit breaker, the combination with asingle main contact and a single shunt-contact in vertical alincment andconnected to one circuit-terminal, of a hinged arm having a main and ashunt contact at one end, a flexible connector extending through the armto the other circuitt-erminal and means for moving the arm in the arc ofa circle to make and break the sh nut-circuit and longitudinally to makeand break the main circuit.

4-. In an automatic circuit-breaker, the combination with a carbon blockand a laminated contact joined to one terminal of a circuit in verticalalinement, of an arm provided with a carbon block and a metal plate andhaving a double hinge con n ection with a supporting base andtoggle-lever and spring mechanism IIO For actuating said arm to movesaid block and plate respectively into and out of engagement with thestationary block and laminated contacts.

5. In an automatic electric-circuit breaker, the combination With a mainand a shunt contact-terminal, of a hinged frame, a contactbearing armhinged to one side of said frame and having a spring connection with theother side, a toggle-lever for actuating said frame and a device movingindependently of the

